Only languages in which passivization involves (a) the complete assumption of the coding properties of the subject by the promoted object (and thus complete loss of its original case-coding), and in addition (b) promotion of non-accusative objects to direct object via dative-shifting results in verb-coding of the semantic case of those objects, will exhibit the direct object-only constraint on passivization.
Standardized
IF passivization involves (a) the complete assumption of the coding properties of the subject by the promoted object (and thus complete loss of its original case-coding), and in addition (b) promotion of non-accusative objects to direct object via dative-shifting results in verb-coding of the semantic case of those objects, THEN there will be a direct object-only constraint on passivization.
Keywords
diathesis, passivization, dative-shift, subject, direct object, indirect object, case
Accusative object in the terminology of Givón means “direct object”, and non-accusative object means “indirect object”.